Britons 'ignoring advice on swine flu'

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 19:54

THREE-quarters of the British public appear unconcerned about the swine flu pandemic and two-thirds have failed to take action to prevent the spread of the virus, a major survey has revealed.

Despite a public information campaign to raise awareness of the steps that people can take to minimise the risk, the vast majority of people have not altered their behaviour. A UK study of 1,000 adults found that only 24 per cent of those surveyed reported any anxiety about the illness, which is expected to soar by 100,000 new cases by the end of next month. It emerged yesterday that Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint is recovering from a "mild bout" of swine flu.

Only 2 per cent reported being in a state of "high anxiety", while the vast majority of the sample had failed to take heed of UK and Scottish government precautions to limit the damage caused by the bug, which has been linked to four deaths in Britain.

The administrations recommend that people wash their hands more frequently, disinfect things they touch and become part of a group of local "flu friends" who can help each other in the event of the illness taking hold. Seventy-two per cent said they had not increased their hand-washing, 83 per cent had not increased use of disinfectant and 85 per cent said they had not discussed the outbreak with a friend.

In Scotland, the number of cases is expected to rise to 10,000 by next month, a rise which suggests that Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy first minister and health secretary, is set for a busy summer trying to persuade Westminster that vaccine cash should come from UK coffers.